


he who raises

by wanderinglilly



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bellamy swears a lot, F/M, Single Parents, bear with me and these feelings, i don't even know i just love the idea of single mom clarke so much, minor minty and wicken, the others will make cameos too, this is mostly shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-21 21:10:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3704901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderinglilly/pseuds/wanderinglilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the story of how Bellamy finds out his partner has a child, and of how he ends up falling for said child (and also falling for the girl).</p><p>OR the single parent! Clarke au that no one asked for but i wrote anyways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "it's not what it looks like..."

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phoenix7884](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix7884/gifts).



> so a while ago my good friend Laure (fireworkss-in-my-heart on tumblr) dared me to write a continuous bellarke au with all the prompts from a post on tumblr. The result is single parent!Clarke-bellarke AU. The title comes from an old mexican saying that goes along the lines of “father is the one to raise, not the one to conceive” (padre es el que cría y no el que engendra). Please enjoy or not. idk u can do what u want.

Bellamy is beyond furious. He’s been waitingfor Clarke for the best part of an hour and if he doesn’t leave now he’s not going to make it on time to the appointment with the couple whose case he and his  _absent_  partner have taken over for nearly a month. Both parents are stubborn and irritating, which is why he guesses they’re getting a divorce, but the fact that they both want to keep the kids makes it especially difficult to discern which one of them is less prejudicial for the children, that’s what he needs Clarke for. She’s the clinical one of the two.

Sighing exasperatedly, Bellamy decides to call her and if she doesn’t pick up he’s going on his own and making sure the stupid asshole who decided to hire her (aka his boss Marcus Kane) finds out his little protégé is skipping out on her work. Taking out his phone, he dials up Clarke’s number and waits for exactly three rings until she answers.

“Bellamy?”He hears. Clarke sounds confused on the other side of the line, as if she didn’t know they have a fucking meeting in forty minutes on the other fucking side of town.

“Princess” He greets, “so nice of you to answer, where the hell are you?”

“What do you mean where the hell am I? At my house, of course.” Clarke answers, still sounding clueless. Bellamy wants to punch a wall. He impatiently reminds her that they have a meeting with the Murphys in forty minutes, to which she gasps and he can almost imagine her freaking mouth making a perfect O and her stupid fucking blue eyes crinkling in that way they do when she remembers something important like the stupid fucking princess she is.

“Oh my god! You’re right!” She squeals into his ear “Bellamy, I’m so sorry. I’m not gonna make it-” then there’s a noise that sounds like a crash and Clarke shouts “Oh, Nicky, don’t do that!” and Bellamy is so damn angry that she’s with a guy instead of being a responsible fucking human being like she promised to be. There are children’s futures that depend on her, for fuck’s sake!

“For a prudish Princess like you, it sure as hell is surprising to hear you skipping work to fu-”

“Bellamy, I swear,  _it’s not what it looks like._  I’ll explain it tomorrow, I promise, just help me out this once, please?” And she sounds so sincere even over the phone, Bellamy can almost imagine her stupid pleading look and the stupid way her mouth pouts. He’s the stupidest one for falling for it, though.

“Fine, Princess. But you’re telling me, and you’re buying coffee tomorrow.”

“You got it.” She says before she hangs up. Bellamy really is a stupid guy.


	2. "you lied to me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bellamy meets clarke's child on a supermarket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the chapter that inspired the entire fic. i hope you like it!

The next day, Bellamy continues to be pissed. His partner did not show up to work today, either, which means he had to face Kane alone to give him the resolution for the case of the Murphys (which, mind you, the kids stay with the mom, because John Murphy is a freaking creepster) and the boss, of course, inquired about his partner.

“I wouldn’t know, boss.” He answers, feigning ignorance. “Called in sick yesterday and haven’t heard from her since then.” Kane hums in acknowledgement, his eyes scanning over the Murphy file while he dismisses Bellamy with a gesture of his hand. Bellamy looks up a lot to this man but  _must he be so freaking irritating sometimes._

So at the end of the day he goes home to his apartment and finds out his freezer is as good as empty –because one cannot prepare anything with mayonnaise and half a lettuce. Not even Bellamy. Irritated, he goes to the grocery store to buy some ingredients for dinner, not even bothering to change out of his suit.

He goes to the store that’s two blocks away from his building, the one that sells his favorite brand of olives for the pasta he’s cooking later for himself –and maybe his younger sister, if she answers the text he just sent her affirmatively. There, on the cleaning supplies aisle (he’s running low on dish soap) he finds the person responsible for his day-old sour mood, holding a bottle of floor cleaner on each hand and looking indecisive.

“’S taken you so long to decide that you couldn’t even make it to work, Princess?” he tells her, pushing his cart over to where she stands. Clarke gasps and startles so that one of the bottles slides from her hand. Bellamy crouches down to retrieve it, but holds it away when she tries to take it from him. “Where the hell have you been?” he furiously asks.

“I was… busy, Bellamy. I’m sorry to have left you all alone on the final round with the Murphys.” She dodges the question. Clarke’s eyes are looking around as if fearing someone might walk in on them, and it doesn’t get past Bellamy.

“What, afraid your company is going to see me?” he challenges cockily. Clarke just glares at him with the anger he’s used to seeing when they disagree on the course of action for a case, and he is suddenly filled with the need to continue to rile her up.

“Actually, yes.” She says. It’s hard to admit that it stings a little for him. “I’d be totally ashamed to be found talking to you in public so if you’ll excuse me-“

“Mommy, can I take two of these?” a voice behind Bellamy asks. He turns around to see a brown haired kid with Clarke’s electric blue eyes staring at his partner, holding two boxes of cereal in his hands. Clarke is looking back and forth between him and the kid, and Bellamy feels the pieces of a puzzle he didn’t know he was solving come together in his head.

“You have  _a kid!?_ ”He half whispers, half shouts. Clarke opens her mouth to say something, and then closes it again. Sighing, the blonde looks at the child before addressing him.

“No, sweetie, one is enough. When it’s finished, I promise we can come back from more.” She tells the boy in a sweet tone. “Now, can you be a darling and bring mom a carton of milk?” the kid smiles, he’s missing one of his front teeth and it’s the single cutest –ahem, for a boy. Octavia was cuter anyway- thing Bellamy’s ever seen. He nods and scurries away to another aisle, allowing Clarke to turn her attention back to Bellamy.

“Yes, Bellamy, I have a child.  That’s the reason I haven’t been around. He’s been sick.” Clarke explains. It makes sense now that she’s always absent for a few hours in the week, and that some days she comes to work with a smudge of paint on her face, hair or clothes. Bellamy is equal parts angry at himself for not noticing sooner and at Clarke for not telling him.

“We have been working together for nearly a year, Clarke.” He says seriously, looking her in the eye “Why did I not know this?”

“Oh, please, like you wouldn’t have said something like ‘not my fault you got knocked up’ whenever I needed to get out” she counters, lowering the tone of her voice to mimic his own. He wants to argue, but she’s probably right.

“Look, I  _am_  an asshole. Won’t deny it. But it doesn’t excuse the fact that  _you lied to me_.”

“Well, Bellamy, I have a son. His name is Nicholas, I call him Nicky. He’s seven. Happy?” she deadpans, exasperated. He is about to answer when the kid –Nicky– comes back with the requested carton of milk, smiling at his mother and looking at Bellamy questioningly.

“Nicky” Clarke starts, taking the milk from his hands. “This is my partner, Bellamy. We work together. Bellamy, this is my son Nicky.” The kid, not unlike his mother, is anything but shy, and soon steps forward to offer Bellamy his hand. Bellamy squats to be at eye level with him, taking his tiny (in comparison) hand into his own large one and smiling at him. He really is Clarke’s son.

“Hello Nicholas.” Bellamy says. Then, stage-whispering, he asks: “is your mom as much of a nag at your house as she is at work?” the kid laughs a throaty sound, his cheeks pinking with the mirth. By the time he smiles and nods, Bellamy’s half gone already; curse himself and his partiality to young children.

Nicky then asks him a lot of questions about his mom’s work, and then as they run through the aisles they get on a serious conversation over Harry Potter, an astounded Clarke trailing behind them. When they’re both done shopping, Clarke reminds her kid that they must go, and so Bellamy –via Nicky– finds out they live on a building two blocks away from there, four blocks away from his building. He offers to walk them home, and the kid agrees before the mother can refuse. Throwing a cocky gaze to his coworker, Bellamy takes some bags from her hands and starts the walk with Nicky leading the way, Clarke still trailing behind them. Which is why he misses the fond look she throws his way while he animatedly talks to her kid.

When they reach the building, he hands her back her bags and cheerfully says goodbye to Nicky, who runs up the stairs to catch the last of his favorite program on TV.

“You sure he’s your kid?” he asks her mockingly, raising an eyebrow. “He’s way too nice.”

“Oh shut up, Blake.” Clarke answers, but the smile she’s sporting gives her away. Shaking his head, he waves a hand in goodbye and starts to turn around when a hand on his bicep stops him. “Wait!” she says “Thank you. For… you know, covering for me… and cheering Nicky up. He’d been pretty down these past few days.” Bellamy just smiles softly for once. He takes the hand Clarke has on his arm with one of his and squeezes it before letting it go.

“No prob, Princess. Your kid’s pretty cool. Just… don’t keep things from me, okay? We’re partners.” Clarke nods and waves him goodbye before entering her building.

Great, now he has to carry these stupid bags four blocks back to his apartment.


	3. "just once"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> on this chapter, Clarke brings Nicky to work and Bellamy becomes useless in the face of children and documentaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case it isn’t clear, Clarke and Bellamy are both social workers, and they’re partners. Bellamy is 32 and Clarke is 27. i don’t really know how the american social security system works so i’m throwing a wild guess here, as well as the american education system. Forgive me for any mistakes (and also let me know so i can correct them). this is also unbeta’d and hardly looked over.

“Bellamy please-”

“Clarke, No.”

“Where else am I supposed to leave him? His school cancelled class; I don’t trust a nanny and all of my friends that he knows are working. I can’t skip another day of work.” Bellamy sighs, a headache already forming. He’s been on the phone for as long as five minutes and he has the sneaking suspicion that this conversation is not going to end until either Clarke or he admits defeat, and he doesn’t figure she’s relenting anytime soon.

“Clarke, as much as I like him, if you bring Nicholas to work we’re never going to get anything done.” He explains; Clarke starts on about him questioning her professionalism and he has to sigh again to stop himself from engaging in the fight that Clarke’s  _always_  ready to offer, instead, he says: “It’s not that I think you’re going to neglect your job because of your kid, but children have needs.”

Clarke stays quiet for a few seconds. He can hear Nicky’s voice somewhere behind her, going off about something he can’t quite catch and then Clarke speaks again. “It’ll be only this time, and he’ll be well-behaved and we’ll get to work on finishing the report I promise-”

“Fine! Clarke, Fine.  _Just once_ , though.” He finally relents. In retrospection, he should have known he was going to cave eventually, but he supposes Nicky can’t do much harm. Clarke’s now singing endless ‘thank you’s from the other side of the line and Bellamy can’t help but smile to himself a little in the privacy of his –their– office. “Bring coffee, Griffin.”

“You got it, Blake.“ She sounds cheery when she hangs up.

Thirty minutes later, Clarke’s striding through the door, a cup of coffee on each hand and her son in tow. Nicky’s still one of the cutest things he’s ever seen and he’s already regretting this decision –Bellamy Blake is a sucker for children. He looks at them once and all he wants to do is play with them and tell them stories all day and night. It’s ridiculous, really. Kind of the reason his sister doesn’t let him see his niece all that often (“ _if it were for you, she wouldn't even go to school when she stays over at your place.”_  He hears Octavia’s voice in his mind –but hey, Alba adores him okay and it goes both ways, they just want to spend time together).

“Hey, Nick. What’s up?” he high-fives the kid, and is offered a bright smile in return, and the story of how his second-grade teacher fell off of two flights of stairs this morning and for lack of a substitute his class got dismissed.

“We’re visiting Mr. Green after work, right kiddo?” Clarke interjects. Nicky nods and takes a book out of the backpack he’s carrying as he goes to sit on the couch on the corner of the office, happily reading while Bellamy and Clarke review the report they’re going to hand to Kane about their latest case, a nasty situation of domestic violence in which Bellamy had to take a drink before visiting the family so he could refrain from punching the asshole father (alcohol, contrary to popular belief, doesn’t make Bellamy Blake bolder, it rather calms him down) and being done with it.

Soon though, he looks over to Nicky and finds him seeing a video on what he identifies as Clarke’s tablet –now he gets why there are so many games on that thing. Going over to the child, he ruffles his soft brown hair before sitting down beside him; Nicky’s watching a documentary about killer whales, and he’s so centered on it he barely registers his mother’s coworker voice as he asks him what he’s watching. Nicky stops the video.

“I really like orcas. They’re big and they live in families for all their life and they’re really intelligent!” he says excitedly. It brings a grin to Bellamy’s face. “Do you want to watch with me?”

“Eh… Why not?” Bellamy answers with a smile, shifting on the couch to allow Nicky to sit between his legs so they can watch more comfortably. Clarke protests on the desk and Bellamy looks at her with the biggest shit-eating grin he can manage. “Need I remind you who delivered the Murphy report?”

“You’re insufferable.” Clarke answers. There’s a scowl etched on her face, but then she looks at her son and he’s so comfortable and the report is mostly finished, so she throws a pen at Bellamy’s head (it misses) and decides it can’t hurt. Nicky can always use a friend.

Later, when the report is finished and Clarke’s getting ready to leave, she goes over to pry her son from Bellamy’s arms where he is currently sleeping, as is her co-worker. She also softly shakes Bellamy into wakefulness, to which he returns with an embarrassed look on his face. He offers to carry Nicky to her car, and her back’s sore from hunching over the computer for two hours straight –thank you, Blake– so she agrees and they leave after he gathers his things from the desk.

When he’s on his car and on his way back to his apartment, Bellamy reminisces on the real reason he didn’t want Clarke to bring her child to work: it’s  _Bellamy_  who has no self control or sense of professionalism at all when it comes to children.


	4. "you did all of this for me!?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On this one, Clarke and Nicky have Bellamy over for dinner because they’re nice like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was a bitch to write and also it got away from me a little at the end but i’m hoping to set a slower pace on the next chapter. this is clarke’s pov. i hope it doesn’t feel too ooc.

Clarke Griffin is freaking out.

She shouldn’t be, considering that the greatest source of joy in the world for her is sitting right beside her on the couch, happily watching a Disney movie, but it’s hard not to worry when you invite your coworker (who just a few weeks ago still addressed her only by “princess”) to spend an evening at your house to thank him for his help with your son.

Of course, this was Nicky’s idea in the first place (“Bellamy’s so nice, he likes documentaries and he helped us! We should do something nice for him!” he’d said, all earnest blue eyes and she suddenly knew why she used to get away with most things when she was a kid), so it was him who chose the movie and the food (Finding Nemo and homemade pizza because “mommy, who  _doesn’t_ love pizza?”), but who did all the inviting? Clarke did.

And it’s the most awkward event to ever take place in her life. Clarke’s so nervous she nearly backs out on it, but then she thinks of Nicky and his stupid hopeful eyes and she steels herself and approaches Bellamy as he’s making his way out of the office. He’s taken aback by her proposition, but when she mentions Nicky as the mastermind he smiles softly and promises to be there at six.

That was yesterday. Now it’s five fifty four and there’s no sign of Bellamy.  _What if he doesn’t come? Nicky’s going to be so sad_. Clarke pulls him against her chest, happy to have him with her after all they’ve been through, and is about to start talking him into the possibility that her partner may not show up when there’s a knock on her door.

“Coming!” Nicky yells, disentangling himself from his mother’s grasp and running to the door. Behind it is Bellamy, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt (she’s never seen him in anything other than slacks and button ups, she has to admit he looks delicious great) and holding what looks like a dvd case and a bag of groceries in one hand. Nicholas smiles brightly at him. “Hi, Bellamy!”

“Hey, kid.” Bellamy replies, fist bumping him. Nicky invites him in and he greets Clarke with a wave of his hand. It still amazes her sometimes that this is the same man who a month ago gave her hell for knowing Marcus before getting the job. Not that she’s complaining for the change; Bellamy is brilliant at what he does and he always has the best intentions on mind when he takes a posture on a case, but sometimes she felt like he objected to whatever she had to say just to spite her. That happens a lot less now, thank the gods. “Did you start the movie without me?” he asks her son, a mock-hurt look on his face.

“Well, you were taking forever.” Nicky says, sitting back on the couch beside her. Clarke gasps at his tone (he’s not one to take so fast to practical strangers), but Bellamy just laughs good-naturedly. She smiles at him, apologetic, and stands up from the couch as he sits on the other side of Nicky, announcing she’s going to check on dinner.

And she’s not lying, she needs to check on the pizza, but she also needs a moment because  _Bellamy Blake is not supposed to look that good on a simple purple t-shirt_. She’s always known her partner  _is_ attractive (she’s also sure he knows it damn well too), but it’s never affected her before. Maybe it has to do with the fact that, once you get past that asshole-ish exterior, he’s actually a decent human being. Or maybe it’s related to the way he’s so nice to her son. She’s always liked people whom don’t talk to her son like he’s an idiot, so that must be it. Still,  _keep it together, Griffin_ , she whispers to herself as she absent-mindedly sets the table.

Just as she’s finishing, the timer rings, signaling that the pizza’s ready, so she calls over Nicky and Bellamy, whose movie must be about to finish. Not five minutes later, they enter the kitchen side by side, chatting animatedly about the movie.

“…I especially liked that being with Nemo and his dad helped Dory remember.” Bellamy tells her son, then looks over as she’s placing the pizza in the center of the small, square dining table and stops in his tracks. “whoa, Clarke!  _You did all of this for me?_ ” he asks, disbelieving as he looks at the set table and the smoking pizza. She shrugs.

“Nicky likes you.” she murmurs, nodding to her kid to wash his hands “You helped us when we needed it and it’s not as big of a deal as you’re probably making it up in your head. Now go wash your hands and have dinner.” Going over to the fridge to take out the mostly full jar of lemonade she made earlier in the day, Clarke manages to hide the slight blush that dusts her cheeks at Bellamy’s visible amazement.

They have dinner in silence, or they would, if Nicky weren’t there. He could chat up a wall, she thinks amusedly. Bellamy doesn’t seem bothered by it, though, and humors her son on an animated conversation about whether or not  _Atlantis_  is real. After dinner, they move to the living room, where Bellamy starts –with Clarke’s permission- the dvd he brought over (it’s  _Road to ElDorado_ , the gigantic nerd), and they watch it until Nicky falls asleep in the couch.

“I’m gonna take him to his room.”Clarke says quietly. Bellamy nods and scoops the kid on his arms before she can protest, looking at her with a questioning look with which she supposes he asks for the direction of her son’s room. She guides him there and waits for him to deposit him in the bed before leading him out quietly.

“You didn’t have to do that.” She says once they’re back in the living room.

“You didn’t have to cook me dinner, either. Don’t sweat it, Clarke.” He counters. “I  _like_  your kid.”

“Yeah, that might explain the sudden change in attitude.” She answers before she thinks about it –great, she might just have blown up whatever chances she had- wait! Chances?  _Get a freaking grip, Griffin_. Bellamy’s eyes are blown wide at her remark, but then his expression softens and then saddens as he looks away.

“I know what’s it like to raise a kid on your own.” He simply says, moving past her to gather his things from the couch. “I’d brought these bags of popcorn for the movie.” He comments, looking down on the grocery bag with a blush on his cheeks. He smiles, bashful, scratching at his neck and handing her the bag. “Turns out we didn’t need them. Keep them.”

An awkward silence settles between them. Clarke wants to ask about his knowledge on raising kids, but she feels like he’d be back to Bellamy the Asshole if she did, so she keeps quiet and watches him scratch at his neck, the muscles on his arm showing in the way he bends it. “Ahem, it’s getting late.” She mutters awkwardly, and it seems to flip a switch on her partner’s head.

“You’re right, I better go.” He replies, turning around and walking to the door. “Thanks for the –for everything, really. See you at work. Don’t be late. Bring-”

“Bellamy.” She interrupts him, amused.

“ _What.”_

“You’re rambling.” She laughs “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She follows him to the door and sees him disappear down the stairs. She’s about to close the door when he reappears, a little out of breath when he comes to a stop in front of her. “What’s the matter?” Clarke asks, puzzled.

“Just…” he purses his lips, seemingly in thought for a moment, then leans down and plants a kiss on her cheek, leaving her stunned. “…thank you, Princess. I really did have a great time tonight.” And just like that, he’s gone again.

Clarke is positively freaking out.


	5. hey! i was gonna eat that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bellamy and clarke hold heavy conversations over a box of cookies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gUYS! my break from university finished this sunday and i’m still adjusting to the life of the student two days later so i hadn’t had much time to write. i hope you like this! the next chapter will be funnier (or so i hope).

Clarke’s just sending the last of her reports to Kane so that she can finally have lunch when Bellamy comes back through the door. He’s holding a container in his hand and smiling suspiciously. What she refers to as ‘the incident’ (aka the time Bellamy bid her goodnight with a kiss on the cheek) has not been mentioned in the week that’s passed since it came to happen, and though Clarke’s mind is reeling with all the questions she’s dying to ask, she doesn’t want to jeopardize their friendship, not now that it’s finally taking off.

“Octavia sends cookies.” He says, plopping down in the chair beside hers and opening the little box’s lid. The smell of chocolate chip cookies fills the air, and Clarke’s stomach makes a noise that brings heat to her cheeks. Bellamy chuckles.

“Did she actually send them or did you just bring them to share? I don’t think she likes me much.” Clarke inquires, mindlessly taking one cookie from the box as she takes out her lunch (a sad sandwich in comparison to Bellamy’s meal: a plate of some noodle-meat-egg that looks way too tasty for her starved self).

“She gave them to me yesterday. Figured I might share.” He says through a mouthful of food. “Well, you can’t expect her to be your biggest fan after you left me alone with _Cage Wallace_.” Clarke groans, sensing the start of an argument as she hits the top of the desk with her forehead. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Bellamy gulf down two cookies at once.

“Will you ever let me forget?”

“That you left me alone with the craziest director of an orphanage we’ve ever had to deal with? Nah.” He counters lightheartedly. She’d had a nice friendship with his sister before that incident.

Despite her bad relationship with Bellamy in the first days they started to work together, Clarke and Octavia had hit it off right away when they met on a visit the latter paid to her brother on the office, the first months they’d been partners; she’d even met his little six-year-old niece, Alba. When they got tasked with Cage Wallace’s case (a supervision of his duties as the director of Mount Weather Orphanage, which he performed less-than-ideally), Clarke had had to fly away from the city on personal business, thus leaving the case in Bellamy’s hands, but the guy had been a bit too much to handle (he locked Bellamy in the orphanage for days) so Octavia and her husband had to show up with an army of policemen (led by his friend Nathan Miller) to rescue him. After that, Octavia hadn’t shown much affection for Clarke. “Why did you leave, though?” he asks, his eyes not on her but on the wall behind her, a pensive expression on his face. “Did it have to do with Nicky?”

Clarke grimaces. “Yeah.” She says softly. “Something… something came up with his dad.” It’s all she says, and Bellamy’s tactful enough not to push (he always is, now that she thinks about it). She looks at him as he hands her another cookie, at the hair that refuses to stay back no matter how much he gels it, so he’s kind of just stopped doing it; the freckles on his face and how they resemble the chocolate dots on the surface of the cookies (or rather, the cookies resemble him? She’s comparing Bellamy to a cookie, _jesus_ ) at the thoughtfulness that refuses to leave his face.

“I figured.” he replies in the same low voice he’s been using since he brought up the topic. “I mean… after that day at the supermarket, a lot of things just started to make sense, ya know?” Clarke nods. She’d gone to great lengths to make sure Bellamy didn’t find out about Nicky, so that he wouldn’t use her son against her, but as always, she’d underestimated Bellamy. He’d covered for her multiple times on the space of a year without ever asking a question, after all. Willingly or not, well that’s another matter entirely. “Then I felt really stupid for not figuring it out earlier, and even more stupid when I thought about how big of a dick I’ve been for the past year while you’ve been looking out for your son.”

“Hey, Bellamy, stop.” She tells him, reaching out to grasp his arm. He looks at her at the contact, his gaze earnest and apologetic, and though his face belies no emotions, his eyes tell a different tale. “It’s not your fault you didn’t know. It’s mine, okay? I didn’t want you to… I don’t know, you already were prejudiced about me because Marcus has a thing for my mom and I ended up being his subordinate, and if you knew about Nicky I supposed you’d probably taunt me about him too. You can be pretty mean when you want to.” She finishes, looking at the floor. Her cheeks are on flame, something for which she berates herself –it’s just stupid Bellamy, after all. But he’s smiling at her now, and maybe it’s worth embarrassing herself if he’s gonna direct that blinder of a smile to her more often.

He slides the arm she’s holding until he’s squeezing her hand with his own, sending a spike of electricity down Clarke’s arm, making her squirm in her seat. He seems to realize that, because a second later he’s dropping her hand and reaching for the box of cookies, taking the last one with him. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Clarke says:

“ _Hey! I was gonna eat that!_ ” to which Bellamy only smirks. He swats at her hand when she tries to pry it from him, a light laugh rumbling in his chest.

“Sorry Princess. I got to it first.”

“Alright, Blake, but you owe me one.”

“Whatever the hell you say, Princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we don't speak about cage wallace on the office.


	6. "I can’t believe you talked me into this” & “the paint’s supposed to go where!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy is invited over for Nicky's birthday. His role to play in the party is, however, not the one he expected. Hilarity ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry to have taken so long to update but sadly, life happens, and mine tends to happen very hard when it does. i'd planned this chapter a while ago and have been writing it sporadically for about a week. i hope you like it and hopefully check out my other stuff??  
>  the prompts aren't exactly said as they have been in the previous chapters, though, it felt way too forced.

“Tell me again, how did you talk me into this?”

Clarke laughs, the sound echoing in her apartment’s living room where he’s backing away from her. She’s holding a bucket of green body paint in one hand and a brush in the other, the color not unlike the one covering the upper half of Bellamy’s body. He thinks she’s too entertained doing this to actually _need_ him to do it.

“You didn’t. You ate the last cookie Octavia made so you’re suffering the consequences.” Bellamy thinks if he had known this is what he was going to pay for eating that last cookie, he would never have eaten it at all. On second thought, it was a goddamn delicious cookie, so maybe he would have. Sue him, his sister’s a great baker.

“But must the paint really go _everywhere_?” he whines. When Clarke asked him last week to attend Nick’s birthday party, he didn’t think he’d be the freaking _star_ in it.

“Yes, Bellamy. You’re the Hulk. You’re supposed to be _all green_ so stop complaining and let me paint your back.” Clarke says, walking over to where he stands. He starts walking backwards again but his back is met with the wall, so he curses and looks around for an escape route.

“Must it be the Hulk? Can’t I dress like some other superhero that _isn’t green_?”

“Nicky’s favorite Avenger is the Hulk, Bellamy. Do you think I’m asking you to do this for the fun of seeing you green?” he replies to that with a yes, and Clarke brusquely turns him around to paint his back in retaliation. He suppresses a shudder when the brush touches his skin, hoping Clarke doesn’t notice that she’s kind of having an effect on him with the old oversized button up she’s wearing –which is especially difficult given that he’s only wearing purple shorts. _Bellamy Blake_ , he tells himself, taking a deep breath, _you cannot be attracted to your coworker._

(Yeah, right)

“Why?” he asks, craning his neck to look at her. She’s concentrating in his lower back, which makes it look like she’s checking out his ass. He tries not to feel smug about it.

“You kidding? Have you noticed my son’s obsession with science? It’s like he’s not even mine. Anyway, Bruce Banner is a scientist who turns into a ripped dude who smashes things. He’d be my favorite too if I wasn’t a diehard Cap fan.” She mutters without once looking up at him. Bellamy snorts.

“How predictable.” Is all that he says, making her look up to him with indignation in her eyes.

“ _Predictable_? He’s the first Avenger, he’s a badass. How’s he not _your_ favorite Avenger? Are you not American?”

“I’m half Filipino.” He explains, but she doesn’t even look impressed.

“So? You’re still half American. Who’s your favorite Avenger then?” she squats to paint his legs, and then he really goes rigid, his mind running over a hundred different things so he can’t think about Clarke crouching in front of him.

“Black Widow.” He answers, smiling. “Or Thor. Well, maybe not Thor. Black Widow, she’s the only sane one. Kinda.”

Clarke lets out a laugh, standing up when she’s finished with him. He feels really stupid, green skinned and wearing only shorts while she’s there looking gorgeous with her hair in a crown braid and a goofy smile on her lips as she looks at him, but that’s nothing new.

“I feel stupid.”

“You should. You’re very stupid. Now let me change so I can go get Nicky and his friends and you can hide in my room.” She’s out of his face before he can say anything, and he rubs his (green) face with a (green) hand, thankful this stupid paint at least covers the blush that must be spreading over his face, if the heat he feels on his cheeks is anything to go by.

Clarke comes out of her room wearing a cute green polka-dotted dress instead of the button up, leaving Bellamy speechless. He’s always known she’s not unattractive, but she was his arch-nemesis for nearly a year and he’s still coming to terms with the fact that they’re friends now and also _she’s a mom_. Get a freaking grip, Bellamy. She ushers him into her room with a promise to come back soon and reaches up to ruffle his hair before she leaves.

He glares at her retreating form and once she’s gone he glares at the door. When he turns around in her room (neat and tidy –weird, Clarke’s not an organized person at all) he catches a glimpse of himself on a full-body mirror stuck to the wall.

He looks ridiculous.

Staring at himself for about three more minutes, Bellamy’s more than freaking ready to bail out on Clarke. He looks stupid. He’s not going to prance around in front of Nicky’s friends so he can embarrass himself –never mind that Octavia agreed to come and bring his niece, never mind that Clarke’s going to be super disappointed and he won’t get to give Nick the present he got for him.

He hears movement in the living room and grows anxious. There’s a window on Clarke’s room that leads to an adjacent set of stairs, and he thinks if he jumps high enough he can make it to them (how his pride is going to stand walking around the city cosplaying _the Hulk_ , he doesn’t want to think about), but then the door opens as he’s throwing a leg out and Clarke’s back is to him, her body blocking the door to an adamant Nicholas.

“What’s my surprise, mommy? Let me see –is that the Hulk?” _Fuck it all to Hell_ , Bellamy thinks. He runs a hand through his hair, lowering back his leg and turning around slowly.

“Hey, Nick. Happy birthday!” he forces out a smile. Nick’s wearing a crown that Clarke forced on him earlier in the day, it says “Birthday boy” in bright blue letters, and he looks so happy to see him that Bellamy’s smile turns from forced to genuine.

“Bellamy!” the kid exclaims, dodging his mom to run towards him. Bellamy’s more than a little surprised when he feels Nick’s arms circle his waist, and by the looks of it, Clarke is too. “I thought you weren’t coming!”

“Did your mom tell you that? She didn’t invite me and I had to climb through the window.” he replies, ruffling the boy’s hair and throwing an arm around him. Clarke looks at him, offended. “I told you she doesn’t like me.”

Nicky pays no heed to his comment and tugs on his arm to bring him to the living room, where his friends form school and his sister await. Octavia snorts as soon as she sees him, taking a picture with her cell phone before he can protest, and given that he’s smothered by children soon after, he doesn’t ever get a chance to. Being the Hulk is not really that hard, now that he’s impersonating him. All he has to do is make his voice a bit rougher and say “hulk smash” a few times.

There’s a girl in Nick’s class –a tiny blonde named Charlotte that reminds him of Clarke- that seems to develop a crush on him, she follows him everywhere around the room. His niece, Alba, is also attached to him for most of the evening, and Bellamy has such a good time that he actually forgets he’s covered in green paint.

When the time to open the presents comes, he is forced to endure a ten minute lecture from Octavia because “damn Bell couldn’t you tell me sooner so I could’ve actually gotten the kid a good present” and “I had to get him a stupid puzzle”, but Nicky likes puzzles, and this one is 200 pieces, so the evening is saved. As for his own present, Bellamy leaves it for last.

Clarke doesn’t sit at all in the entirety of the day. They had a normal day at the office like always and then she’d told him the guy she’d hired to dress up (or rather, dress down) as the Hulk bailed on her so he was cookie bound to be his replacement. He’d protested, of course, but given in like always; after work they went straight to her place, tidied it up and (reluctantly on his part) characterized him. If that wasn’t enough, the kids arrive right after they get everything ready and then it’s a mess of serving food and organizing games. The crown braid’s a little undone by eight p.m. when the parents arrive to pick up Nicky’s classmates and friends.

He offers to take Octavia and Alba home, but they assure him Lincoln is on the way, so he asks Clarke for her bathroom so he can wash away the paint.

When he’s done he comes out wearing his uniform again, a gift box in his hand. Nicky looks about ready to go to sleep and so does Clarke, so he bids farewell to the kid and hands him his present (spoiler: it’s an anthology of _The Chronicles of Narnia_ ), advising him to go to bed. Clarke follows him to the door.

“I know the way, Princess.”

“Shut up, Bellamy.” She replies, there is tiredness in her voice and a hint of a tone usually reserved for her son –fond but commandeering- that brings a smile to his face. “Thank you. You really saved my ass today.”

“I did eat the last cookie, though.” She chuckles, swatting his arm. They reach the door and he goes to open it as he says his goodbye to Clarke, but she stops him before he crosses the threshold of the door with a hand on his forearm.

“Goodbye.” she gives him a smile, tucks back a strand of hair fallen from the braid and steps on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Bellamy’s so startled he feels numb everywhere except for his cheek, which might as well be on fire. His coworker steps back with a reddish face and a shy smile that he cannot help but return with a goofy smile of his own. He squeezes her arm one last time before turning around to walk down the hall and towards his car.

_Well_ , Bellamy thinks as he starts the drive back to his apartment, _I sure as hell feel like the Hulk right now_. 


	7. "come over here and make me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke remembers they're dining with Raven while she reminisces about Bellamy's place in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been sO LONG (like five days)! so here have a clarke-centered chapter to apologize for the lateness. Ily all

Clarke Griffin is not spending too much time with Bellamy Blake.

They just have too much work, that’s all.

Oh, who is she kidding? Ever since her son’s birthday party two months ago, her coworker ( _friend_ , says a voice in her head) spends at least two afternoons a week on her apartment (at least).

It’s oddly domestic the way he stays for dinner when they have a big workload and it gets late (like today) and washes the dishes after. He’s meticulously clean, she’s noticed, doesn't even drop chip crumbs when they're watching TV with Nicky on the living room.

That’s another thing, Nicky. She’s pretty sure he’s in love with Bellamy: her kid follows him everywhere when she takes him to the office, when they're in her home he waits until they're done with work to have him play videogames and watch movies (well, documentaries, the nerds) for the rest of the evening. Sometimes she feels like they're somehow imposing on Bellamy, but he never complains and he seems to be genuinely enjoying himself telling Nicky stories whenever they're not playing or watching anything.

But some days, her head’s invaded by a tiny little voice –that doesn't sound very different from her mother’s– that suggests maybe the explanation for Bellamy’s place in her son’s heart isn't all that hard to comprehend. Nicky’s never met his father, after all ( _and he never will_ , says her mom’s wistful voice), it’s not a total surprise that he'd meet a nice, _constant_ male figure and latch onto him.

Clarke just wishes it wasn't the partner she’s a little attracted to.

( _Right, a little_. And this time, the voice is Raven’s)

Speaking of Raven, Nicky and Clarke are supposed to be meeting her at her place today. It’s late in the afternoon, Bellamy and her are finishing a review of their latest case that they have to present in court tomorrow (another fight for custody, though the family seems much less creepy this time) –or they _had_ been, but it’s long since done and he’s been playing Mario Kart with Nicky for about two hours, getting loosely swatted on the arm by her every time he almost utters a swear word.

“Nicky” she says, waving her hand in front of her, which he ignores and ducks under to continue the race. “Baby, you need to take a shower now, we're meeting your aunt Raven.”

Nicky ignores her, but Bellamy takes the hint and pauses the game. “Should I leave?” he asks softly, his gaze traveling from her to her son, whom, if Clarke knows him at all (and come on, he’s her _son_ ), is about to throw a fit.

“No, Bellamy, we're playing, stay.” He answers. Bellamy smiles at him, but looks to her for guidance.

“We have dinner with a friend of mine once a month, and I'd forgotten we agreed to meet today with all the paperwork for the Johnson’s case.” She explains, offering what she hopes is an apologetic smile. Bellamy brushes it off with one of his own, arguing that it’s his fault for overstaying his welcome anyway. “No, no Bellamy. You can come over whenever, it’s just I totally forgot about Raven.”

“Don't let auntie hear that, she’s going to murder you.” Nicky mutters, arms crossed over his chest and brow furrowed in annoyance. Clarke smiles despite herself, ruffling her son’s hair.

“Bathroom. Now.” She replies, going over to the TV to turn it off and pick up the console.

“I don't want to.”

“Nicky, go and take a shower.” She’s getting ~~quite~~ a little annoyed. It doesn't help that Nicky’s defying her authority in front of Bellamy. She looks over to him: he looks a bit uncomfortable, scratching at his arm and looking between the both of them.

“I won’t.”

“Nick…”

“ _Come over here and make me_.” This sets Clarke off. Standing up, she walks over to him, a finger pointed in his direction.

“Nicholas Griffin!-” she’s about to give him the lecture of his life when she feels a big, warm hand place itself upon her shoulder, effectively shutting her up. She notices her son’s eyes have gone wide with fear (Clarke’s almost never angry, much less at him) and when she looks back to the hand’s owner, Bellamy’s looking at her with concern.

“Mind if I give it a try?” she doesn't see how he can accomplish what she can’t, but she’s seen Bellamy talk young, frightened children into testifying at court, so she figures she’s not entirely wrong putting her faith on him. Sighing, Clarke looks at Nicky one last time before going to her room to put on something other than her skirt and tank top that she wears underneath her office’s blouse.

When she comes back in jeans and a plaid button-up, Bellamy’s alone in the living room.

“What kind of bribery did you offer my son?”

He laughs in that way that makes her stomach flip against her will, his eyes crinkling at the corner. “I just talked to him.” She kind of wants to insist, but she’s come to realize that Bellamy’s not only her friend but also her kid’s friend, so she supposes there must be some level of trust he feels uncomfortable to break between him and Nicky.

“Okay.” She says, softly.

“Well, I guess I’ll get going.” He announces, clearing his throat when they've been quiet for too long. He makes way for the door, squeezing Clarke’s arm when he passes by her. Then he stops. “I didn't see your car on the parking lot, and we came back in mine. Where is it?”

“That’s the other reason we’re going to Raven’s. She’s a mechanical engineer and runs an auto-shop with her boyfriend. My car broke down a few days ago, so I called her and today she called me to say it’s ready. It conveniently coincided with the date we use to meet.” She gathers some things from the table that she proceeds to stuff in her bag (her keys, a kleenex pack, her wallet, a few sweets for Nicky) to avoid looking at him.

“Why didn't you call me? You're on my way to the office.” He sounds genuinely offended. She mutters something about not wanting to impose and he scoffs. “Whatever, I'm giving you a ride to your friend’s place. Is it far?”

“We can take the bus!”

“It’s past seven, Clarke. It'll be dark pretty soon and with your luck, I’m not letting you take any other form of transport. I'll wait.” Bellamy deadpans, making Clarke growl with irritation. She feels like her mom just scolded her for going to a party after eight.

“I can take care of myself, Bellamy.” She protests when he settles on the living room, taking a book out of his bag to pass the time.

“I know, princess, but you don't have to.”

Leave it to Bellamy to know exactly what to say to shut her up. Defeated, she goes to Nicky’s room to see if he’s ready, and she’s glad to find him less belligerent and willing to apologize. She smiles, apologizing too and drawing him into a hug.

“I love you, baby.” She mumbles to his damp hair as she bends down to kiss the top of his head. “I’m sorry for yelling.”

“I’m sorry for not obeying. I know you don't like being late.”

“That’s okay, we both overreacted. Now, wanna go to aunt Raven’s?”

“Is she making burgers?”

“Of course she’s making burgers, baby.” Nicky lets go of her and runs to the door, forgetting to tie his shoe and nearly tripping over it. He’s confused when he sees Bellamy’s still in the living room. “Bellamy is very nice and offered to give us a ride.”

Nicky’s even more pleased by this, if the smile he offers Bellamy is anything to go by. Her partner smiles, too, and stands up to command her kid around with his best military voice. Nicky is delighted, fixing his posture and walking in formation behind Bellamy.

The ride is filled with Bellamy’s bad jokes (they suck, but Nicky laughs anyway) and idle conversation and, hey, maybe domestic’s not that bad.

She could definitely get used to it. _But you’re getting ahead of yourself,_ Clarke tells herself. Bellamy is only her partner, after all. Very fond of her son and a constant fixture in her house, but still only a coworker. She shakes her head to try and dissipate those thoughts, feeling Bellamy’s car slow to a stop.

“And, we’re here.” He announces in his best cabbie voice. “It’ll be thirty dollars and twenty cents, ma’am.” Clarke swats at his arm again, unable to contain laughter.

“Your jokes suck.” She tells him, but then his face turns serious.

“I mean it.”  He lasts for about three seconds before he laughs, and then Clarke actually punches him.

“You idiot! I almost believed you!” she laughs.

“Mommy! You said a bad word!”

“Right, sweetheart. I’m sorry Bellamy, you’re not completely an idiot.” Bellamy gives her a shit eating grin as he unlocks the door. “See you tomorrow.” She tells him, getting out of the car to help her son do the same. She leans on the window to notice his grin turn softer, more genuine.

“Yeah, see ya, Princess.”

“Bellamy-”

“Clarke, get your ass in here, I’m starving!”

“Auntie, you said a bad word!”

Sighing, she waves him goodbye and goes to lead her son inside. She’ll talk to him some other day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh abby's been mentioned, nicky's dad's been mentioned, does it mean *gasp*...
> 
> this actually has a plot?
> 
> we'll see! leave a comment if you'd like!


End file.
